The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the temblor hit at 22:38 p.m. local time (1638 GMT; 11:38 a.m. EST) Monday and that the epicenter was in a remote mountainous area near the border with Western China and Kyrgyzstan.

The shallow tremors were also felt in the capital of neighboring Kyrgyzstan. No damage had been reported by late Monday. Central Asia is a seismically active area.

A powerful earthquake in July 2011 killed at least 14 people across the heavily populated Ferghana valley shared by Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.